What you need to know
- Google appears to be prepping a standalone Gemini app for iOS.
- From the beginning, iOS users have had to access Gemini through the Google app or web client on their iPhone.
- At least one user has already downloaded and used the Gemini app with Gemini Live on iOS, but the test looks to be limited.
The experience of using Gemini on Android and iOS might be getting more consistent. Google is apparently planning to ship a dedicated Gemini app to the App Store on iOS, and at least one Reddit user already downloaded it (via 9to5Google). From the beginning, iPhone users found Gemini in the Google app, whereas Android users had a standalone Gemini app since the beginning of this year.
The app is called "Google Gemini," and it's available on the iOS App Store in select regions under this link. The Reddit user u/lostshenanigans was able to download it on the Philippines App Store, and some have found success changing their App Store country to the Philippines to view this app. For most users, including those in the U.S., the app won't be available. Instead, following the above listing page will return the following message: "This app is currently not available in your country or region."
Google describes the Gemini app for iOS as "Your AI assistant from Google" and that it can "Unlock the power of Google AI on your iPhone." Aside from serving as a basic AI chatbot, the App Store listing reveals that Gemini Live will be available at launch. In a series of screenshots, u/lostshenanigans revealed Gemini Live was already working on their iPhone, and they could continue a conversation with Gemini Live even from the lockscreen. This can be either achieved by Google using a Live Activity, or by treating Gemini Live like an iOS voice call — or potentially a combination of the two.
Comment from r/Bard
Per the App Store listing, Google released the Gemini app in select regions about a week ago, starting with version 1.2024.4330807. Since then, the release notes say that version 1.2024.4330809 recently added Gemini Live support.
Currently, the Google app and Google Assistant app are available for download separately from the App Store on iOS. There's a separate tab in the Google app for Gemini on iOS, which functions similarly to the Gemini web client. To make reaching Gemini easier, there's a Gemini widget for the Google app that can be added to the iPhone Home Screen. However, the Google app lacks feature parity with the Gemini app for Android, and Gemini Live is a glaring omission.
All iPhone 16 models (plus the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max) have the Action button, which could easily be mapped to open the upcoming Gemini app. Now that Google appears to be prepping the Gemini app and Gemini Live for iPhone, it could become a sneaky Siri competitor.
